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Arika's list-o-books!

Keep track of your reading for 2011 here! One thread per member, please.
seansmommy
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Arika's list-o-books!

Post by seansmommy » Sat January 1st, 2011, 4:14 am

1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo- Jan., 4.5 stars
2. Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters- Jan., 4 stars
3. The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters- Jan., 4 stars
4. English Passengers by Matthew Kneale- Jan., 3.5-4 stars
5. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens- Feb., 4.5 stars
6. People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn- currently reading
7. Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters- Feb., 4 stars
8. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery- Mar., 3 stars
9. Paths to God by Ram Dass - currently reading
10. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens- currently reading
Last edited by seansmommy on Wed March 9th, 2011, 6:47 pm, edited 12 times in total.
Reason: Adding new books all the time!
Currently reading: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

seansmommy
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Post by seansmommy » Thu January 13th, 2011, 5:41 am

Started Elizabeth Peter's Curse of the Pharaohs yesterday and finished it tonight. It's the 2nd book in her Amelia Peabody series. Such a fun read. Very lighthearted, with a mystery that isn't terribly hard to solve. But what makes it fun is the witty characters of the crime-solving Amelia Peabody and her grumpy archaeologist husband Emerson.

I will definitely read more from this series this year, just b/c it's fun, easy reading. 4 stars.
Currently reading: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

seansmommy
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Post by seansmommy » Tue January 25th, 2011, 6:11 am

I took another break from Les Mis and read the next Amelia Peabody, The Mummy Case. It was another delightful read and this one kept me guessing until the end. 4 stars.
Currently reading: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

seansmommy
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Post by seansmommy » Tue January 25th, 2011, 9:53 pm

Finished Les Miserables after a marathon reading session last night and today. What can I say? What an epic. What a story. I ended up giving it 4.5 stars, b/c I admit that all of the diversions really jarred me out of the story, time and again. Some of them felt worthwhile and others, not so much.

I could hardly read from crying for the last few hours though. Overall, I'm blown away. It was worth the effort and the time spent. (It took me nearly 4 weeks to get through it!)
Currently reading: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

seansmommy
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Post by seansmommy » Sat January 29th, 2011, 10:32 am

I really enjoyed Matthew Kneale's English Passengers and am struggling with how to rate it. I knew little about Tasmania, and nothing about the aborigines that were wiped out by English colonization. The story fascinated me.

The story is partly about the aborigines and the English settlers, and there are countless horrors as the two clash. But the other part of the story, which revolves around a group of Manx smugglers who are taking 3 English passengers to Tasmania for a research project, is more lighthearted and even downright funny in parts. It sounds strange, but the contrast b/w the two stories worked for me.

This story is one that I won't easily forget. 3.5-4 stars, I can't decide. I enjoyed the book, but the lack of dimension in several of the main characters bothered me.
Currently reading: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

seansmommy
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Post by seansmommy » Wed February 16th, 2011, 8:43 pm

I loved David Copperfield. There was this crazy cast of memorable characters and such a "cozy" feeling to this novel. It wasn't a page-turner with cliffhangers and what not, but it was the sort of book that you looked forward to spending time with. This was a keeper for me, and I can definitely see myself reading it so that I can re-visit these characters. 4.5 stars!
Currently reading: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

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Michy
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Post by Michy » Thu February 17th, 2011, 6:14 am

[quote=""seansmommy""]Finished Les Miserables after a marathon reading session last night and today. What can I say? What an epic. What a story. I ended up giving it 4.5 stars, b/c I admit that all of the diversions really jarred me out of the story, time and again. Some of them felt worthwhile and others, not so much.

I could hardly read from crying for the last few hours though. Overall, I'm blown away. It was worth the effort and the time spent. (It took me nearly 4 weeks to get through it!)[/quote] This seems to be a characteristic of Hugo's writing; in Hunchback he also goes off on several tangents. One in particular that I remember is about the architecture of 15th century Paris. Interesting to a point, but not really important to the story and honestly, if I had been reading a printed version as opposed to listening to an audio version, I probably would have skipped some parts of it. :( I remember my high school English teacher telling us that Hugo was paid by the word for his novels. Not sure if that's true, but it would explain the many unnecessary and lengthy diversions. :) Anyway, hats off to you for reading an unabridged Les Mis; I've only ever read abridged versions.

[quote=""seansmommy""]I loved David Copperfield. There was this crazy cast of memorable characters and such a "cozy" feeling to this novel. It wasn't a page-turner with cliffhangers and what not, but it was the sort of book that you looked forward to spending time with. [/quote] This pretty much describes all of Dickens' books for me. With the exception of A Tale of Two Cities; that one had a slightly different feel to it.

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Madeleine
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Currently reading: "Mania" by L J Ross
Preferred HF: Plantagenets, Victorian, crime, dual time-frame
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Post by Madeleine » Thu February 17th, 2011, 1:54 pm

[quote=""Michy""]This seems to be a characteristic of Hugo's writing; in Hunchback he also goes off on several tangents. One in particular that I remember is about the architecture of 15th century Paris. Interesting to a point, but not really important to the story and honestly, if I had been reading a printed version as opposed to listening to an audio version, I probably would have skipped some parts of it. :( I remember my high school English teacher telling us that Hugo was paid by the word for his novels. Not sure if that's true, but it would explain the many unnecessary and lengthy diversions. :) Anyway, hats off to you for reading an unabridged Les Mis; I've only ever read abridged versions.
[/quote]

I remember reading Hunchback years ago and thinking that he described every inch of Notre Dame! It's a wonderful building and the architecture is fascinating, but yep, a bit too much info! :)
Currently reading "Mania" by L J Ross

seansmommy
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Post by seansmommy » Fri February 25th, 2011, 11:57 pm

I almost always read unabridged versions, but Les Mis is the first time I've read a book and thought to myself, "I can see why they abridged this one!" I don't mind diversions so long as I'm interested, but there were parts of Les Mis that got tiresome for me. Even though I liked the book overall and rated it highly, I doubt it's one I'll read again.
Currently reading: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

seansmommy
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Post by seansmommy » Fri February 25th, 2011, 11:58 pm

I finished Elizabeth Peter's Lion in the Valley today. Another good one. 4 stars!
Currently reading: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

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